Snowboarding is a snow sport that combines elements of skateboarding and surfing. The snowboarder, or rider, straps his boots into left and right snowboard bindings, which traditionally are rigidly attached to the snowboard. One type of snowboard binding, as shown in FIG. 3, usually has two straps, one over the ball of the foot and one over the ankle. Most strap bindings provide the ability to adjust the angle of the foot relative to the snowboard.
A 0° tilt angle setting means that the foot (and the longitudinal axis of the binding) is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. A 20° angle setting means that the binding is rotated 20° toward the front of the snowboard from the 0° position. For the purposes of this application, angles of the binding are measured relative to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard, so a 0° tilt angle is referred to as a 90°s position and a 20° tilt angle is referred to as a 70° position.
Riders generally prefer to have their left or right foot forward on the snowboard when going downhill, just as people generally prefer to write with their left or right hand. Riding with the left foot forward is known as a regular riding stance, and riding with the right foot forward is known as a goofy riding stance.
Beginning snowboarders generally prefer to have their front binding tilt angle set around 20°. Advanced riders who perform tricks generally prefer a 0° tilt angle on their front binding, because it allows them to easily ride with their back foot forward, as a regular stance rider might ride in a goofy stance for short periods.
One bothersome aspect of snowboarding is moving in a lift line. After the rider releases his rear boot from the rear binding, he must awkwardly skate or shuffle himself along with his front foot mostly perpendicular to the direction of travel, because the front foot remains in the front binding. Riding on a chairlift can be equally frustrating, because the hanging snowboard exerts a lateral torque on the front foot. In addition, a snowboarder may have to hold his snowboard in an uncomfortable position to prevent his snowboard from hitting other skiers or snowboarders, because almost every snowboard is longer than the width of a chairlift seat.
Other adjustable snowboard binding mounts providing for rotation between two positions are known, but they have not been widely accepted. For example, some adjustable binding mounts rely upon engagement between a portion of the binding and a member affixed to the board to stop further rotation, which limits the types of bindings that can be used with the binding mount. Some binding mounts require drilling of mounting holes in the snowboard in addition to the industry standard holes, which complicates installation and could lead to a weakened snowboard in some cases. In addition, known adjustable snowboard binding mounts require significant disassembly and/or substitute parts to reconfigure the binding mount of a regular stance rider for a goofy foot rider (or vice versa).
It would be advantageous to provide a binding mount that addresses the problems of the prior art.